The Psychology of Play
by Lady Lianna Kari
Summary: Oneshot. While the Namek kids are staying on Earth, Gohan engages the little refugees in a lovely game of Assimulation Tag. But someone is reluctant. Who is it...and why? Gohan, Dende, and OC from The SaiyaNamek Peace Childe. I DON"T OWN DBZ. PLEASE RATE!


Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.

**The Psychology of Play**

based on _The SaiyaNamek Peace Childe_

"Here I come!" Dende called as he opened his eyes and turned from the tree. His eyes darted playfully around the Capsule Corporation compound as he began his search for the other players. He found Cargot up a tree rather easily, for the young Namek had yet to learn to suppress his ki. With a squeal, the magenta vested childe leapt from the tree, and the chase began with Dende in hot pursuit. He had almost managed to grab Cargot's fleeing form when his hypersensory ears picked up a soft, familiar giggle.

Abandoning his current prey, Dende suppressed his ki and snuck toward the upturned boat. Grinning widely, he shot underneath and wrapped his arms and legs around the new victim who shrieked surprise.

Dende winced from the shrill sound, but recovered quickly. "Ha! I got Gohan!" His muffled cry came from underneath the vessel. A strange mass came tumbling out as the half Saiyan child emerged, giggling Namek still attached.

"Aw, man!" The earth-dweller whined, scratching his head and chuckling sheepishly. "What gave me away?"

The childe responded with a giggle. "Now you're IT, too. Come on, let's find Ajissa!"

Gohan nodded enthusiastically. "Let's split up."

...

Ajissa Kari was standing on top of Bulma's private lab, watching as each of the Namek children were caught and became pursuers. She was still wearing the simple pale blue and lavender tunic-pant style that Guru had given her before he had Passed. She was an unusual childe.

She was the only female Namek. She was also the only Namek that had no antennae or green flesh. She was a flesh-eater; she consumed the proteins and sugars of plants and animals alike for her energy, like the Saiyans and Humans. She did possess some of her sun-absorbing qualities, however. She only ate an eighth as much as the other surviving Saiyans. Speaking of Saiyans, the most obvious signs of her Saiyan heritage was her currently swishing furry, brown tail and her left onyx eye. Her other eye was a brilliant oceanic blue. The large pointed ears of the Namekian race framed her distinctive face. Overall, her appearance wasn't unpleasant.

She shook her head austerely as she watched the childelings of differing planetarian races cavorting across the compound in various degrees of raucous mirth. Although she was also a childe, she still couldn't wrap her brain around the strange social ritual known as play.

She had good reason for her ignorance. She had been created by King Cold as a present for his son Frieza. Her very purpose was to become a weapon of mass destruction, to annihilate millions from planets that Frieza had turned his greedy eye, all for the turning of a profit or the gaining of an advantage. Unfortunately for the Colds, they had included the Namekian DNA in her genetic makeup. Ajissa's other half, Bardock the Saiyan's DNA, had been spliced onto the Namek DNA by using pieces of Frieza's own genetic material.

As a result, Ajissa the "SaiyaNamek" was a walking contradiction. She was a peace lover who loved to fight. The trauma of her genetic memories and the often severity of her psychic visions gave adult-like gravity to the childe's musings and behaviors. At the same time, she was as impulsive as her Saiyan patriarch Bardock had been when it came to some matters. At other times, she was calculating and distant, like her Elder Piccolo was.

But unlike her Elder Namek, Ajissa had obtained all of the memories of Kattatsu in addition to Piccolo's memories prior to the separation of his DNA from him during the capture. Frieza's ancestor had ventured upon Piccolo's fleeing ship on its trip to some distant planet. In the hopes of preserving their race from a catastrophic weather event on their home world, the Nameks had selected the childe of Kattatsu to be sent away. The promising protégé had passed all of the tests and had received the knowledge of the dragon balls through the Namekian ceremony known as Passing.

But the childe of Kattatsu never made it to his original destination. His vessel captured by a member of the Cold clan, Piccolo was drug from his ship and brought to the cruel dictator for assessment. After having his power tested and his finger removed for DNA mapping purposes (Piccolo regenerated but was traumatized, nevertheless. He was a childe, after all.), Piccolo somehow managed to escape and re-secure his ship. Sometime after re-boarding and launching his ship and before arriving on earth, Piccolo had received a severe brain trauma that caused him to lose his memory. At least, Ajissa surmised those things, because she had no memory past the severing of Piccolo's index finger, other than the other countless, previous attempts of the Cold scientists to produce a viable hybrid, which usually resulted in the slow, painful death of the unviable test subject or the instant incineration of a sucessful yet insubordinate subject-

"SHE'S ON THE ROOF!" Cargot's voice yelled above her thoughts. Ajissa growled in annoyance as a dozen small, green bodies and one pink one took to the skies and surrounded her. She had only agreed to "play" because Kakarot's son Gohan had begged her. She surveyed the gang of Nameks and half Saiyan with a smirk.

"So, who's first?"

The Namekians shank back a little. Gohan stood his ground, but winced. "Uh, Ajissa? You know this is just a game? Assimilation Tag? No fighting?"

Ajissa grinned. "Does that mean you're volunteering?" She asked quietly. Just then, a small green body collided with her own, wrapping his arms and legs around her body. Ajissa looked behind her in shock as Dende's victorious face appeared over her shoulder.

"Caught you!" he giggled. "Since you were the last one to be caught, you will be IT first, next time."

Ajissa raised a brow. "Really?" She said in an ironic voice. Then, she smirked. "Hmm. Alright then, scatter!" She shut her eyes. "ONE! TWO! THREE-"

Gohan shrieked in realization. "OH NO! SHE'S COUNTING! EVERYBODY, RUN!"

As Ajissa shouted the numbers, a small, devious grin formed on her lips. _Maybe this game has promise, after all._


End file.
